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''Do you want to give your product an enhanced aesthetics?" Obviously...and you are not alone....everybody wants their product to be perceive appealing to their customers .... But why they are not able to achieve it? Due to low volume production and less investment cost for their business, they could not go for tooling and ended up with compromising on the appearance and switching to alternative materials and processes.

Have you ever thought? What if there is no need for customized tools to give your low scale product the desired look and feel ...yes, it is possible for a company to provide a beautiful piece of machine without making high investment on tooling.

Importance of an Aesthetic look for a product:

Sometimes, a good functionally sound product is not very well accepted in the market due to its look. Hence, an Aesthetic design is critical for consumer acceptance and the market success of the product.

Low-Volume part production needs are usual in some industries such as Medical equipment, Aerospace, Defence, Instrument,Shipbuilding and also in prototyping of a new product development.

Aesthetics plays a crucial role in the perception of the product which directly associate with the overall satisfaction of a customer and it also substantiate the innovation, quality and reliability of the product. So, from the initial stage of development itself, the product aesthetics should be kept in mind and work towards achieving that.

Using Sheet metal for product development:

Sheet metal is metal formed by an industrial process into thin, flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metal working and can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes and thicknesses. (source: Wikipedia)

Because of its characteristic features like pliability, malleability, ductility, temperatures tolerance, collision resistance and long life span, etc., today, sheet metal applications are huge and present in many kinds of industries with a variation in the uses.

But then what is the problem with sheet metal?

When we use plastic, it can be easily molded to give the desired look and feel to the product. But the metal components are not that easy to manufacture. It must go through die-cast, sand cast, or forged, where sheet metal is stamped into complex forms, and this results in a very expensive tooling.

If the sheet metal is needed to be bent it has to go through common die hence, can form only sharp 90º curve bend. To get the desired shape the die tool has to be customized and made which can cost you lakhs for tooling.

So, sometimes to save money from customized tooling, a good part turns into a scrap metal and the machine looks nothing but a box because of only 90º curve bends in it.

And to deal with this problem, Srushty offers the desired curve bend with progressive bending technique to get the ideal curved shape without customizing any tools.

Progressive bending by Srushty

Ways to get an Aesthetic design:

In prototyping, the innovative products are made by mostly focussing only on the functionality, but not in the look and feel. The reason is the cost involved in providing an aesthetic look by tooling is too high and unfeasible for low-volume production.

But in Srushty, this legacy belief has been broken by making an aesthetically pleasing product with sheet metals by using the methods such as Hydraulic pressing, 3D acrylics, print acrylics, metal powder coating, bending without customized tooling, CNC router, Laser cutting etc., to bring the same aesthetic as it is done for the mass production.

"From a sheet of metal to an ornamental looking machine without spending on tooling"

CNC router:

It is a computer-controlled cutting machine related to the hand held router used for cutting various hard materials. A CNC router is very similar in concept to a CNC milling machine. Instead of routing by hand, tool paths are controlled via computer numerical control which enable the machine to function. CNC routers reduce waste and increase productivity, producing various items in a much shorter amount of time than using other machines.

A CNC router can reduce frequency of errors, and the time for taking the finished product to market.

Laser Cutting:

Laser Cutting gives a high-quality surface finish. It is used to cut complex shape with perfect finish and even for a smallest cut this process is very precise and uses less energy. Also avoids the need for a Blanking tool which is otherwise necessary for sheet metal fabricated parts.

Hydraulic Pressing:

It is a device which uses a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressible force. Hydraulic presses are commonly used for forging, clinching, molding, blanking, punching, deep drawing, and metal forming operations. (Source: Wikipedia)

Acrylic print:

Acrylic print used directly for metal finish to give high gloss and color retention. Acrylic print is very durable and ideal for the materials which cannot be heated. It provides a wider range of colors options, and result into a very light and thin finish.

Metal powder coating:

To give the aesthetic look to the product, it is powder coated at the end of part development in which a coating is applied electrostatically to a surface as a free-floating dry powder after which heat is used to melt the powder and completes the coating process. The coating is thick and more durable than spray paint and gives an even finish to the product.

Some of the successful and beautiful products manufactured by Srushty.

Rahasiya:

In this vending machine, not only the purpose of the machine has been achieved but also the aesthetic look which is given by vinyl stickers, acrylic fixture and powder coating to give the machine a beautiful ornamental look.

Spin coater:

This machine is engineered with beautifully curved edges with powder coating to give it an adorn look and feel with the mechanism to perform its desired functions.

IHL:

This Machine is very aesthetically pleasing and capable of performing several medical diagnostic tests. The bend curves of sheet metal are sublimely finished by progressive bending and with the methods such as CNC laser cutting, powder coating and silk screen printing, etc., it results in an elegant piece of work.

In Srushty, we give the best engineering solutions without compromising on the aesthetics of the machine, in spite of low volume requirement for the product.